JONESVILLE VS. HILLSDALE: 1970

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By Phillip Morgan

Hillsdale.net - Hillsdale, MI

By Phillip Morgan

Posted Oct. 29, 2013 at 8:31 AM

By Phillip Morgan

Posted Oct. 29, 2013 at 8:31 AM

Hillsdale, Mich.

pmorgan@hillsdale.net

The last time Hillsdale High School played Jonesville High School in a football game, Richard Nixon was president, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" topped the Billboards, and a gallon of gas cost 36 cents.

The world was very different in 1970 than it is today. One thing, however, has not changed. The people of Jonesville and Hillsdale wait a long time to see their two teams play football.

Before Oct. 2, 1970, the last time these teams met was 1936. Hillsdale won the game, 20-6. Hillsdale and Jonesville have played six games in total. In the first game, in 1923, Hillsdale shutout Jonesville, 18-0. Six years later, Hillsdale picked up another shutout, 19-0. In 1930 the Comets got their first win in the series with a shutout of their own, 12-0. The very next season Hillsdale rebounded for the win, and, once again, the losing team goose egged, 13-0.

So on the afternoon of 1970, Hillsdale held a 4-1 lead in the series. The teams had not played in 39 years, so Jonesville students decided to commemorate the event with a 5.5 mile walk. The 20 students in the "pep club" hiked from Jonesville to Baumgarten Stadium to celebrate the "renewal of an old rivalry."

The Hornets fielded the opening kick that night and nearly scored. Dave Self returned the ball all the way to Comet 10-yard line. John Waters scored several plays later on a sweep. After Waters scored the two-point conversion, Hillsdale led 8-0.

The Hornets almost took a big lead early, as they reached the red-zone on their next possession, but they fumbled on the five-yard line.

The Hornets turned the ball over again late in the first half. This time Jonesville capitalized, as quarterback Bill Dunn scored on a keeper. Running back Denny McCormick's two-point conversion run tied the game at 8. The first half ended in a tie.

Behind Jonesville's runningbacks McCormick, Joe Thompson, and Don Harrison, the Comets drove the field in the first possession of the second half. McCormick scored on an 18-yard scamper, and the Comets took a 14-8 lead.

Hillsdale's sophomore quarterback Eric Van Deusen put his team in scoring position with a 25-yard run, but, once again, Hillsdale fumbled within the five-yard line.

The Comets took advantage of the Hornets' fourth fumble of the game, as Harrison picked up the yardage, and Thompson scored the ball. Jim Caldwell's two-point catch gave the Comets a commanding 22-8 lead.

In the fourth quarter, a long return by Mike Bemis gave the Hornets excellent field position. After two Comet penalties and a reception by Tom Fellows, Van Deusen punched the ball across the goalline. Fellows made a "circus catch" on the conversion, and Hillsdale narrowed the gap to 22-16.

The Hornets did not threaten for the rest of the game, however, and Jonesville's Thompson added one more Comet touchdown to the board. The final score was 29-16.

Page 2 of 2 - Hillsdale missed three keys players in the game, as they fell to 1-2 on the season. The Comets moved up to 2-1 on the season.

Jonesville went on to a 7-2 season that year, while Hillsdale went 2-5-1. The Hornets got the last laugh, however. Two seasons later they went undefeated and claimed the State Championship.